


Summer Begs

by AnnStPere



Category: Benedict Cumberbatch - Fandom
Genre: August : Osage County, BBC Sherlock - Freeform, Children, Gen, Original Female Character - Freeform, Sherlock TV - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-08
Updated: 2013-02-13
Packaged: 2017-11-28 15:04:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/675747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnStPere/pseuds/AnnStPere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set a few years in the future.</p><p>Inspired by all of those Twitter images of Mr. C holding babies. The title is from the song "Summer Begs" by Sarah Jaffe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He came around the corner, caught sight of her and stopped. She was seated on a bench just a few yards from him. On her lap, a small child squirmed as the woman’s fingers tightened the laces of two tiny shoes. From where he stood he could only see their profiles but he knew absolutely that it was her, despite her hair having grown and the age that three years…was that right? three years?…worth of time had etched into her face.

Leah. That was her name. Leah.

He remember how differently her name sounded when she said it. That Midwestern accent cutting hard at the vowels: Lee-yah. Not nearly as soft and subtle as how he pronounced it, the rare times he said it.

“Lay-ah”

Her name escaped from his lips the second he remembered it. The airy word reached his ears and pushed a memory forward in his mind: Her short hair contrasted against blue bedsheets. Her warm body underneath his, rocking with him. Her fingers gripping his forearms, the tips just beginning to push into his flesh. An audible smile in her voice as she gasped and moaned.

He blinked and felt the weight of the memory sag into his arms and back as he let escape a sigh.

Focusing on her, he watched Leah push the girl gently from her lap. He was close enough to hear her say “Better?” nodding to the child’s shoes which lifted and stomped the concrete path in response, a bright smile bursting across the child’s face. Separated from Leah’s body, the child’s features were clearly visible to him: the mop of curly copper-colored hair, the vivid blue-green eyes, the pale skin. All features that one could say came from Leah herself.

It was the child’s mouth, those little mountain peaks and the full valley below, that held his attention. Leah’s mouth was large but her lips were thin. No, it was clear that the mouth was a gift from the girl’s father.

“All right? And we’re off!” Leah said, rising and clasping her daughter’s hand.

His own hand closed in on itself. As his fingertips pressed into his palm, something heavy and empty filled his gut and he suddenly gasped, unaware that he’d been holding his breath.

She was nearly to the end of the block. The urgency to run after her was strong but he couldn’t move.

Swallow.

Inhale.

“Lay-ah?”

Her feet stopped abruptly. Her head tilted up – as if to attention – and then quickly looked down to the child at her side.

A bit louder. Step forward. “Lay-ah.”

She turned her head over her shoulder while gently pulling the child’s hand closer to her body. Her eyes met his. The recognition was immediate.

The corners of her mouth crept slowly up as she turned her body to face him.

“Ben.”


	2. Chapter 2

His legs felt weak but he hid it well behind a confident stride as he reached the end of the block.

“Hi.” Her voice was bright and welcoming.

He didn’t know if he should hug her or shake her hand or do nothing. He raised both arms slightly.

“Hello,” he said, a little shaky but smiling.

Leah took the hint, stepping forward and wrapping her free arm around him so that her hand landed firmly in the middle of his back. His arms surrounded her, pulling her body so it was snug against his. She felt smaller. Or maybe he wasn’t remembering her correctly.

“Hi,” he said, breathing in. Lavender. She always smelled like lavender.

_“Lavender soap and deodorant?”_

_She raised an eyebrow and quirked her mouth into a half smile, “You find something you like, you stick with it.”_

He felt her hand pat his back twice and he knew that his memory just made current events a bit awkward. This hug was lasting too long. Letting his arms fall and stepping back, he felt a tug, as if he were snagged on something. Looking down he saw that the little girl was holding the fabric of his trousers just below the knee. Leah followed his gaze.

“She does that,” she said flatly. “Sylvia, say hello to Benedict.”

Sylvia flattened her hand and was now petting him, sending a funny kind of tickle through his leg.

“Hello.” she said, briefly looking up at him and then refocusing her attention on the fabric before her. “It’s soft.”

“She’s into textures right now,” Leah said with a slight sigh. “She has to touch everything. We don’t often find ourselves at M&S, as you might imagine.”

Benedict laughed, “She’s lovely.”

"Yeah, right now she is. Give her about 10 minutes,” Leah said with a smile.

He suddenly realized how comfortable he was talking to Leah. He was no longer shaking, his breathing had normalized and his legs felt strong, though a little strange what with Sylvia effectively treating him like a large dog.

“What are you doing in London?”

“Kevin is stationed here, has been for the last six months.”

Confused, Benedict’s brow pinched. Tilting her head forward and raising her eyebrows “My husband? I don’t expect you to remember him. He wasn’t around much when we were working on Osage County.”

“Oh, right.” he said with some force.

She was married back then, wasn’t she.

“Air Force, yeah?”

“Yes. Like I said, he’s been stationed here and, you know, I go where he goes.”

Benedict nodded, looking back down a Sylvia who was trying to wiggle her other hand from her mother’s grasp.

“I need my hand,” she said, looking up at Leah.

“No, you don’t because we have to go,” her mother said in reply, meeting Benedict’s eyes. “We’ve got an appointment but it was nice to see you. I heard you’re working on the last season of Sherlock. I’m sure the fandom is losing their shit.” She just barley said the last word to keep Sylvia from hearing and he suddenly remembered that, too. Leah swore. A lot. She once told him that well-constructed cursing wasn’t vulgar at all: _“It’s an art form.”_ He chuckled at the memory.

“Yeah,” he said. “Fortunately, I’ve got a lot going on right now so they’ll still see me everywhere.”

“That’s great,” she said, raising her hand to touch his arm but letting it drop before she reached it. “Seriously, I’m really happy for you. You’ve been doing really good work.”

Her smile is so warm. How could I forget that?

“Shit,” she said looking at her watch. The word echoed from her daughter’s mouth, causing Leah to grimace. “We really have to go. Best of luck with everything.”

“We should get coffee or a pint,” he blurted out, raising his arm, his fingertips lightly grasping at her coat. “It would be nice to catch up.”

“Um…yeah,” she said, hesitating. “It’s just that we go back to the states next week and there’s a lot to get done.”

“Going back? You've only just got here.”

Leah snorted in response, her face curving into an amused smile. “We’ve been in London for almost seven months.”

“Oh.” His chest suddenly felt heavy. He bowed his head, thinking, and found himself caught in Sylvia’s eyes. She smiled at him. It was a smile he knew. Not just Leah’s smile but one he’d seen in pictures of himself as a child. He reached down, his palm resting on the side of her face and her smile brightened. Her tiny fingers laced into the cuff of his jacket.

“Not so soft,” she said, examining the fabric.

“What about tomorrow?” he said, keeping her eyes fixed on Sylvia. “Anytime you want.”

Leah looked at her watch again. He could see the conflict on her face and he opened his mouth to try to convince her.

“Okay,” she said, shaking her head and pinching her brow as if to dispel some negative thought. “Two o’clock at Flat White on Berwick in Soho. Time to go, Sylvia” she said, pulling Sylvia who let out a whine as her face slipped from Benedict’s hand; her fingers pulling his sleeve before it slipped through her grasp.

“Bye, Sylvia. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Benedict said as he watched them turn the corner, his eyes just catching Leah’s as she glanced over her shoulder, a slight smile on her lips.

His hand felt noticeably empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you starting to put it together? No worries, it will all be explained.
> 
> I'm from the States so kudos to Google for coming up with the locations in this chapter.
> 
> Comments and criticism are welcome. Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

He was trying to remember.

\- The scent of lavender

\- Thick copper hair tangled in his loose fist

\- A flat backside

\- Dark beer

\- A pair of worn Toms shoes in navy, or maybe they were gray

Benedict couldn’t recall their first kiss. He didn’t think Leah had ever talked about her family or why she was working as a production assistant on a film in Oklahoma. He was sure they’d never been out together, not on a proper date.

He remembered her at bars with others from the crew – laughing with the guys, hugging the girls. He remembered her singing at a karaoke bar they all piled into on night. He couldn’t say for sure how many times they’d had sex. Yes, he was busy. Yes, they hadn’t stayed in touch or even tried (he checked his phone and saw that he didn’t have her number). Yes, it had been a number of years. If Benedict were being honest with himself, he would admit that he wouldn’t have thought of Leah again. But he’d seen her and her daughter that morning and something heavy and warm sat inside of him the moment he looked at little Sylvia. So now, alone in his flat, Leah was all he could think about.

There was only one photo of her in the file titled “August:Osage County” on his computer. She was in the left side of the frame in what was otherwise an unremarkable candid shot of the set that he must have snapped on one of his first days of filming. In the image, she’s talking to one of the other assistants, someone he didn’t remember. Her hair is in a lose ponytail and she’s wearing a blue baseball cap. Her right arm is propped on her hip and in her left hand, taking up the space between her body and the assistant’s, are her sunglasses.

Benedict sat back in his chair and laughed at the memory. That must have been their first conversation.

_“Benedict? They need you in 10,” Leah said, just poking her head inside his trailer._

_“Oh, yes. Um…hello,” he said, standing and walking toward her, hand outstretched. “I’m Benedict Cumberbatch.”_

_“Yes. I know. Hi,” she said taking his hand, giving it a firm shake, and turning to leave._

_“I like your sunglasses,” he blurted out, still holding her hand. “I should’ve brought mine. Looks like we’ll all need them today.”_

_Leah looked down at his hand still locked on her's. “Yeah, it’s a scorcher out there,” she said with some bit of levity, her eyebrows raised._

_“They’re enormous, your sunglasses,” he said, smiling and dropping her hand._

_"Ha. Don’t even get me started. These are medium,” she turned and walked back to the set._

_He laughed. Out loud. And watched her go._

That was it. Her wit. Her no-nonsense demeanor. He wasn’t very famous in the states back then but he was recognizable and she had treated him like some random guy at a coffee shop. He liked that.

But he couldn’t remember any more.

Rubbing his hands over his face, he slumped in the chair and considered what he’d say to her the next day on their first-ever ‘date’. The thought made him chuckle and then grimace. He hadn’t been careless with people, with women. If anything, he was happiest when he was in a relationship. But, at that point in this life with Osage County and Star Trek and The Hobbit about to mark a change in his career, he felt brazen and under a bit of pressure. Being with Leah made him feel normal somehow.

He missed that feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Comments and criticism are welcome.


	4. Chapter 4

Benedict had fully intended on arriving 10 minutes early so he could secure a table toward the back of the café, order a drink for himself, and prepare for what could be an awkward and difficult conversation.

Instead he turned up at 2:13pm, flushed and flustered, bursting into the nearly empty coffee shop like wild animal.

He spotted Leah and Sylvia at a table along the far wall. Leah was staring at him, a quirky smile on her face.

“I’m so sorry. I had a meeting that ran over and then traffic was ridiculous,” he said, pulling out the chair across from her.

“The old traffic excuse, eh? I figured you could zip right through the congestion on that bike of yours,” she said, teasing.

“I can’t ride my motorbike any more; too recognizable.”

“Oh, that’s right. You’re famous now. Everything changes.” Her smile was warm. “Let’s hope you still take your tea the same way,” she said, nodding to the cup on the table.

“Oh. Um, thanks.” Taking a sip, Benedict nodded. “Yeah, still take it this way. How could you possibly remember that?”

“A good assistant never forgets.”

He smiled. “Is that what you’re doing while you’re in London? Production assistant?”

“Ha. No. Osage County was a one-time thing. Kevin was stationed in Oklahoma and I needed to do something so I called a few people and ended up on the set. It was fun, but ‘mommy’ is my title now and trust me when I say it’s a full time job,” she said, running her fingers through Sylvia’s hair as the child colored in a book on the table.

Benedict smiled and fidgeted in his chair. If there was ever an opening, that was it.

“When was she born?”

“April 28.”

“2013?”

“Yeah,” Leah said warily.

Benedict cleared his throat. “So, she was, um, conceived around August 2012.”

“That’s probably correct.”

He could feel his face flush and hear his heart beating in his ears. He kept his eyes on Sylvia, studying her features.

“Is she mine?” he asked, barely more than a whisper.

His eyes met Leah’s. He didn’t know what reaction to expect from her but the look of calm on her face was not it.

Leah sat back in her chair and took a deep breath. Pursing her lips, she looked down at the table. “It’s a bit complicated.”

Benedict tilted his head toward her and felt his hands shake against the tabletop. “Wha...what does that mean?”

Leah leaned forward, wrapping her hands around her coffee cup. “Well, I’m married and you weren’t the only man I was sleeping with.”

Frustrated, he ran his hands through his hair. “Look at her – she has my face,” he said with some force, pointing at Sylvia.

Leah closed her eyes for a moment and then grabbed her purse. Afraid she was going to leave, Benedict moved to touch her arm.

“Ben, I know you’ve never met my husband but you and he share some strikingly similar features,” she said, pulling out her phone and flipping through the photos. “Look. Look at his face.”

Benedict took the phone. The screen displayed a strong-looking man with dark brown hair, prominent cheekbones and, yes, a very similar mouth to his own. He looked at Leah and at Sylvia and back at the image. Setting the phone on the table between them, he sighed. “But you said you aren’t sure. She could be mine.”

Leah tilted her head and gave him a look of pity? No, not pity. Something softer than that. Something kinder. “No, Ben. She’s not yours. She’s mine and Kevin’s and we’re going to leave in a few days and you’re going to continue to be a very famous and well-respected actor.”

He was rubbing his hands over his thighs and worrying his bottom lip. He felt derailed. If Sylvia was his daughter, he wanted her. He wanted Leah. They could make it work. And he’d finally have the family he longed for.

“A paternity test,” he blurted out. “We’ll do a paternity test and if she’s mine you’ll, I don’t know. You’ll leave him and we’ll…”

Leah raised her hand, cutting him off. “That’s not going to happen,” she said and then explained to Benedict what he already knew – how his career, his fans, his colleagues, and family would respond to his affair with a nobody on the Osage County set. And then Leah told Benedict something he hadn’t thought of: what being dragged through the press would do to her and Sylvia.

“You have to trust me,” Leah said, reaching across the table and taking his hands in hers. “I know you want a family. I know you want a baby, but this isn’t the way to do it.”

His hands were shaking against Leah’s firm grip. “I just…she’s just so…” he said, focusing on the little girl who sat oblivious to their conversation.

He took a deep breath and pulled his hands up to his face, pressing his palms into his eyes. “You’re right. I know you’re right. Yeah.”

A calm silence spread between Leah and Benedict as he dropped his hands and their eyes met. Leah gave a little smile. Benedict looked up at the ceiling, a slight laugh escaping from his lips. “This is crazy, isn’t it,” he said, smiling at Leah.

“Life is rarely anything else,” she replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Few things in real life are wrapped up in a neat bow so I thought it was appropriate to leave this a little muddy at the end.
> 
> Comments and criticism are welcome. You can also find me on Tumblr.

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be a one-shot posted on my Tumblr page but the one reader who commented wanted to see more so there's more. Criticism and corrections are welcome. Thanks for reading.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr: annstpere


End file.
